I. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to protective devices for removable attachment to the side of a vehicle. More specifically, the present invention is a new and improved vehicle door protector formed of a resilient semi-rigid material and magnetically coupled to the vehicle door.
II. Background Art
As is well known, automobiles are susceptible to small nicks and dings in side doors and fenders resulting from contact caused by the careless opening of the door of an adjacently parked vehicle. This type of damage occurs especially when vehicles are parked in parking lots having narrow parking spaces and personal garages. However, this type of minor damage to the automobile may be avoided by the use of vehicle side protectors.
Many automobile manufacturers include in the design of the vehicle rubber or plastic side protector strips permanently affixed to the sides of the vehicle. These protectors typically extend along each side of the vehicle along the front fender, doors and rear fender but do not always provide the needed protection due to the height of adjacent vehicle doors. However, many automobile manufacturers do not include such protective devices in the design of the vehicle. One reason for not including the permanently affixed side protectors is that these devices detract from the overall appearance of the vehicle. For those vehicles which do not have permanently affixed side protectors, the cumulative damage is an unsightly detraction from the overall appearance of the vehicle.
For vehicles without side protectors, it is advantageous to prevent damage by either installing a permanent protective strip which extends along the length of the vehicle, or by installing a portable protector which may be temporarily applied as desired by vehicle operator. The aftermarket permanently affixed side protectors have the inherent disadvantage in that by being permanently affixed it detracts from the overall asthetic appearance of the vehicle. It is, therefore, advantageous to have a portable vehicle side protector which is installed at the time selected by the operator and positioned where it may provide optimum protection, such as when parking in parking lots. The portable device is then removed by the operator prior to driving the vehicle.
On type of vehicle door protector currently marketed is a curtain-like protective device. This device is attached by a frame to the vehicle door at the window opening. The curtain is typically a plastic sheet which extends downwardly to cover the door. The sheet itself then may prevent nicks and dings caused by the opening of doors of closely parked cars. A disadvantage of this type of protector is that it is rather large and cumbersome to install and remove. Furthermore, the device may provide insufficient protection due to the limited thickness of the sheet and its resiliency in withstanding impact. In addition, this type of protector is limited to vehicle door applications and is incapable of protecting the fenders of the vehicle without special adaptation.
It is, therefore, an object of the present invention to provide a new and improved vehicle side protector in the form of an elongated strip of a resilient semi-rigid material which is magnetically attached to the side of the vehicle, whether or not the vehicle has permanently affixed side protection, in the location where damage from the opening of doors of an adjacent vehicle may occur.
It is yet another object of the present invention to provide a compact portable vehicle door protector which is removably attached to the exterior of the vehicle and removably secured by a strap to the interior of the vehicle.